Pitch regulator for musical instruments



p 0. 1940. P. R. GRUBER 2,214,553

PITCH REGULATOR FOP. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed Sept. 23, 1958 INVENTOR Paul RGruIrer.

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 10, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PITCH REGULATOR FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Application September 23, 1938, Serial No. 231,334

'7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in musical instruments, and more particularly to a pitch controlled wind instrument such as an ocarina.

Wind instruments, such as fifes, flutes, ocarinas, whistles, and the like, are generally provided with a resonant air chamber having a plurality of openings adapted to be covered and uncovered by the players fingers to produce the different notes of the scale. The air chamber is also provided with a mouthpiece and an outlet, but generally has no pitch control.

By means of the presentinvention, an improved form of pitch control means is located on one side of the Ocarina in position for convenient manipulation while the instrument is being played.

One object of this invention is to provide a pitch or key regulator of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and install, readily manipulated, compact, ornamental in appearance, and very efficient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there have been illustrated in the accompanying drawing two forms in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an ocarina having the improved pitch regulating device installed on the side thereof.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the ocarina shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a greatly enlarged top plan view of a twistable cap forming part of the pitch regulator.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View of the pitch regulator taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view, similar to Fig. 5, of a modified form of pitch regulating device.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral It indicates the casing of an ocarina having an elongated oval-shaped resonant air chamber H, into which air is blown by the player through a mouthpiece IZ. The ocarina is also provided with a permanently open outlet 13 to permit the escape of air and to cooperate with a reed, not shown, within the air chamber H to produce a musical note when the player blows into the mouthpiece.

In order to permit tunes to be played, the easing is provided with a plurality of finger openings 14, ten being shown in this instance, which are adapted to be readily covered and uncovered, as desired, by the fingers and thumbs of both hands to vary the volume of air' exhausted from the chamber ll, whereby the musical sounds produced by the instrument may be varied at will. The openings l4 vary in size and arrangement as is usual with instruments of this type.

The casing it) of the Ocarina is preferably formed of two interfitti'n'g sections separated by a central line Illa, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Pitch regulator The pitch regulator in the first form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-5 includes a bushing l5 having screw threads for rigid engagement in a suitable aperture in the wall 19 of the cas ing, the outer end of said bushing being partly covered by a circular end wall I6 having 2. laterally extending annular fiange I7. The end wall I8 is provided with a substantially semicircular aperture l'8 which forms an additional exhaust outlet for the chamber It of the ocarina. when the bushing is screw-threaded into the aperture in the wall 19 thereof, as shown in Fig. 3.

A twistable circular cap member 20, preferably of thin spring metal, overlies the cover portion l6, and the periphery of said cap member is adapted to be spun downwardly and inwardly over the lateral flange I! to rotatably mount it upon the bushing I5. The cap member 20 is provided with a substantially semi-circular aperture 2i similar to the aperture l8 in the end wall 16, which is. adapted to register with said aperture I8 when the cap is in open position. The edge of the cap member 20 is preferably knurled as shown at 22 to facilitate grasping it with the fingers when it is desired to turn it on the flange l! to adjust the pitch of the ocarina.

In order to prevent accidental rotation of the cap 20 relative to the bushing l5, and thus securely hold it in any desired adjusted position, provision is made of a depressed nub 23 on the top of the cap member 20, which nub frictionally engages the end wall E6 of the bushing 55.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 6, the pitch regulator comprises a hollow boss 24 integral with the casing l9 and extending outwardly from the chamber ll. The boss 24 has a substantially semi-circular aperture 25 in its top face through which air will be exhausted from the chamber II when the cap member 26 is in open position. The cap member 26 has a semicircular aperture 2'! similar to the aperture 25,

and the edges or" said cap member are spun over the periphery. of the boss 2 and loosely engaged in an annular groove 23 formed in the outer side wall 29 or" the boss 2:3, whereby the cap will be twistably positioned thereon.

One advantage of the present invention is that the pitch of the musical instrument, to which it is applied, be delicately varied or adjusted by rotating the caps 20 or 26 upon the bushing l5 or boss 2 1, respectively. This permits the instrument to be made by the use of relatively inexpensive tools and molds,"-thus greatly rebe conveniently embodied in practice, it will be understood that these forms are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosures but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit.

In short, the invention includes all the modifications-and embodiment coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. A pitch regulator for a wind musical-instrument having a hollow casing, comprising a hollow exteriorly threaded bushing for screwing into a wall of said casing, said bushing having an aperture in its outer portion, a cap rotatively mounted onsaid bushing and overlying the outer portion thereof, said cap having an end aperture adjustably registering with the aperture in said bushing, whereby the pitch of said instrumentmay be changed by the rotation of said cap on said bushing to vary the size of the opening between said bushing and said cap, and cooperating means on said cap and casing to frictionally hold. said cap from being accidentally twisted out of adjusted position.

2. In a wind musical instrument having a hollow casing provided with finger openings for producing the different tones of a scale and in which the wall of said casing has an aperture, and a pitch regulator comprising a twistable means on the exterior of said casing having an additional aperture adapted to adjustably register with the aperture in said wall, whereby the pitch of said instrument may be changed by rotation of said twistable means with respect to said Wall.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 2 in which said twistable means is secured to a bush- 7 ing connectible with the wall of said casing.

l. The invention as set forth in claim 2 in having a depending skirt spun into an annular boss projecting from the side wall of said casing.

5. The invention as set forth in claim 2 in which said twistable means comprises a cover cap having a depending skirt spun into an annular boss projecting from and integral with the side wall of said casing.

6. The invention as set forth in claim 2 in which said twistable means comprises a cover cap having a depending skirt spun into a flanged annular boss projecting from the side wall of said casing.

7. A pitch regulator for a wind musical instrument having a hollow casing, comprising a hollow bushing for insertion into a wall of said casing, said bushing having an aperture in its outer portion, a cap rotatively mounted on said bushing and overlying the outer portion thereof, said cap having an end aperture adjustably registering with the aperture in said bushing, whereby the pitch of said instrument may be changed by the rotation of said cap on said bushing to vary the size of the opening between said bushing and said cap, and cooperating means on said cap and casing to frictionally hold said cap from being accidentally twisted out of adjusted position.

PAUL R. GRUBER. 

